PARIS CROSSING REUNION ROUND-UP

                    Paris Crossing Reunion Round-Up

                                                                                                                 

For some local Paris Crossing grads, the annual reunion of all classes is probably very common place. Duties and distance of the military and gospel ministry have greatly impacted my ability to attend. Fortunately, though 800 miles from Oklahoma, I was recently able to attend the third such reunion since graduating in 1959.The following observations were important to me:

1.     There was an unapologetic inclusion of gospel hymn, prayers, and old-fashioned Hoosier patriotism. 

2.     Class members who answered the last roll call during the previous year were appropriately remembered and honored.

3.     College scholarships were awarded to three promising young relatives of Paris Crossing grads.

4.     At 77, it is time to be very honest, especially with people who are of a similar age. As a result, I had to say to some unrecognized greeters, “You have the better of me, I don’t recognize you.” Nervous laughter often followed.

5.     Special acknowledgement is due Richard “Red” Young and his dedicated staff for a job well done. Kudos also to the Pines Restaurant in Seymour for hosting this annual event.

6.     I must publicly thank Ronald Harrison, my life-long friend, for his many continuing fine gestures of keeping me informed of Paris Crossing activities.

Somewhat related: Without a doubt, Indiana home owners have the best cared for lawns in America! Ditto the proud display of Old Glory.

Glenn <><

KILLING CURSIVE

                                                 
Apology to Bill O’Reilly for borrowing from his best-selling book titles. This letter attempts to answer two questions: (1) Why cursive matters. And (2), why is cursive writing one ballpoint pen away from flat lining? (Pun intended)

1.     Cursive writing matters because students taking longhand notes do better on tests. Teachers and parents, take a deep breath and sit down, and look up studies at Princeton, University of California, Scientific American, Psychological Science, Research Gate, Psychology Today, et. al. Beyond the objective rationale for cursive note taking, there is, in my opinion, cursive writing reveals the distinctive identity of the writer. Furthermore, a cursive writer is not burdened by the starts and stops of keyboard activity. Thoughts, the good, the bad, and the ugly flow unhindered from the moving pencil or pen. A cursive writer never stops to find an emoji or emoticon to express their feeling. Well known authors who do their writing in cursive are Quentin Tarantino, Joyce Carol Oates, Amy Tan, Tom Wolfe, Danielle Steel, George Clooney, and many more. Many musical composers use a special form of cursive to write their songs. (You might call it “note” taking!)

2.     The usual suspects of the computer and cell phone as the major culprits in destroying cursive writing. I prefer to look a bit farther down the digital stream to the ink jet and laser printers. Every well-formed character is antiseptic and displays a dispassionate similarity; when you see one machine-printed “E”, you have seen them all. Venturing even further upon this theme, in my opinion, political correctness and the homogeneous everyone gets a trophy view of society, disdains cursive as too distinctive, too individualized, and too much an indicator of hard work and effort.

Not everyone agrees with my line of reasoning. (Another pun). Josh Giesbrecht, writing in The Atlantic, August, 2015, “How the ballpoint pen killed cursive” describes the history of the ballpoint pen and how it displaced the fountain pen which started the rapid decline of cursive writing. His clinching argument is---hang on for it---cursive died because people could not properly hold a ballpoint pen! (Just think this writer was probably paid by the word.)  The best part of his article is a description of Bic’s “Fight for Your Write” slogan. For the record: I euphemistically refer to myself as a “Hillbilly with a ballpoint pen.”

Glenn<><

Just West of Yesterday

REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

                                     REVERSE ENGINEERED POLITICS

Forget Roswell, Area 51 and Hanger 18; instead, think Washington, D.C. For those who may have stayed too long in “Sleepy Hollow”, UFO advocates strongly contend alien spacecraft were recovered in the 1947 Roswell, NM crash, secretly taken to Hanger 18 on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and then transferred to the impenetrable Area 51 where scientists have reversed engineered the out of this world technology and constructed similar craft, maybe, even new and improved versions.

I personally doubt the reversed engineered hypothesis concerning UFOs. I have no such doubts when it comes to politics that constantly, predictably, and inevitably swarm into our print and electronic media from that great ”Twilight Zone” situated in our nation’s capital. Here’s my reasoning:

1.     Pick any political topic and advocates from the Right or the Left will take a stance solely dependent, not on any logic, but simply on party affiliation. In other words, skillfully constructed lines of “reasoning and sure fire evidence” that are determined not by merits or truth, but where the politician stands. Sadly, they prove again and again the old political axiom, ‘Where you stand depends on where you sit.” Reverse engineered politics.

2.     A previously shared true illustration drives home this point. During my military career I took a very long and detailed communication and electronics course at Keesler AFB, MS in 1966. One of my instructors was a college-educated and technologically knowledgeable person from the local area. During a classroom break, I mentioned Ralph Nader’s book--- “Unsafe at Any Speed”--- and I said former Attorney General, Robert Kennedy supported the book which described the many safety hazards in the Chevrolet Corvair.  The time and the location are crucial to understanding his immediate response, “If Bobby Kennedy is for it, and then I guess I’m against safety.” Reverse engineered politics.

3.     The current maelstrom over President Trump’s nomination of Judge Kavanagh for the Supreme Court represents my contention to the maximum degree. If Trump is for it, the Democrats and their supportive media acolytes are not only against the nomination, there is a not so covert attempt to fight a classic military delaying action until the cavalry—make that November elections---arrives. Reverse engineered politics.

Regardless of the Kavanagh outcome, the American public has daily witnessed the bloody “open heart surgery” of reverse engineered politics.

Glenn <><

Sign of the Times

                                             MY OPINION  

If uncorroborated and unproven allegations become the new criterion of guilt, Lady Justice can remove her blindfold, hock the scales of justice, and make a swift trip to the supermarket and purchase the latest tabloid issue and go home with a clear conscience. 

(Submitted to “The Daily Oklahoman”  9-17-18)

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

Another Letter to Editor of Local Newspaper

                                               Maybe it’s the Corn

Maybe it’s the name “Ben.” Well, it could be a combination of both. The fact remains those two Nebraska U.S. Senators named Ben, though a decade apart, has captured the national political spotlight. Oklahomans know all too well Nebraska is called the Cornhusker State. Consider:

1.     The fiercely debated Obama Care legislation was passed in the U.S. Senate in 2009 with several widely publicized “incentives” to secure the votes of some senators that were on the fence. Several Democrat senators received additional motivation to secure the needed 60 votes. Tennessee received federal funding for hospitals in rural areas of the state. The State Bank of North Dakota, yes, there is a state bank in North Dakota, was the only state granted permission to continue to process student loans. One of the most widely publicized holdouts was Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who earned $300 million dollars in additional Medicaid funding for her 59^th vote. The media dubbed her support as the “Louisiana Purchase.”

2.     Former Democrat Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, the needed 60^th vote, received $100 million additional Medicaid dollars for his state. His vote was widely heralded as the infamous “Cornhusker Kickback.” Subsequent action by the House of Representatives removed the $100 million from the budget. Most readers know Obamacare was passed without a single Republican vote.

3.       Enter Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska, (another Ben), he told a nationwide TV audience Sunday on “Meet the Press” that he often thinks of leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent. He cited his frustration with the gridlock in Congress as his reason. Also, he said he had no plans to run for the presidency in 2020. In my opinion, the timing of his appearance might, repeat, might signal his requirement for some sort of concession from the Trump Administration. President Trump is well aware every Republican senator will be needed to secure the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court. Furthermore, a threat, even a veiled threat, to oppose President Trump in 2020 is something the president will surely want to avoid.

4.       I find it interesting, probably coincidental, that two U.S. Senators, one former and one current, both named Ben, and both from the Cornhusker State are such key players in our national political agenda.

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

REMEMBERING JOHN MCCAIN

 

                       John McCain Remembered

 If you live long enough, many things from your past will greatly help in    understanding the present. Specifically, the late Senator McCain’s POW experience in the “Hanoi Hilton” comes into a sharper focus as I recall the three personal discussions I have had with former American POWs. One of the WWII POWs was imprisoned in Germany and the other survived the Bataan Death March. The Vietnam War POW was a “guest” of the North Vietnamese. I have no words to adequately describe their physical and emotional terrors. Hopefully, what follows honors his wartime experience and attempts to describe his sometimes confusing role in the U.S. Senate:

1.  John McCain was the son of a U.S. Navy Admiral and a grandson of yet another U.S. Navy Admiral. No doubt there were a lot of expectations placed on his young shoulders. Nevertheless, the choice was ultimately his to not run to Canada and to enter the U.S. Naval Academy. His four years at Annapolis, coupled with rigorous flight training, especially, flying an A-4 jet aircraft off of the aircraft carrier Forrestal into hostile skies over North Vietnam surely places him on the doorstep of hero status. (I leave to readers to sort through the supposed reports of an alleged nickname for naval pilot McCain--- “Johnny Wet Start”--- and the tragic fire aboard the Forrestal that claimed 134 lives.)

2.                       Life in the “Hanoi Hilton” is well documented in Admiral Denton’s revealing     account—“When Hell Was In Season.” The five plus years as a POW and torture surely earns the accolade of “Hero” for John McCain. Seldom mentioned, but well documented, is the fact John McCain made recordings while he was a POW expressing an apology to the North Vietnamese.  (AZCentral.com). While this is a clear violation of the U.S. Code of Conduct, there is some consensus this action was coerced.

3.  John McCain. Senior Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona seemed to relish    the “Maverick” description given to him by the print and electronic media. Over the course of his long political career, he had about an 87% record of supporting Republican positions; however, his rating with the American Conservative Union at times dipped to 50% on their rating scale. He will always be remembered for his thumbs down vote on scraping Obama Care. (fivethirtyeight.com).

     Glenn <><